Causing controversy as he goes, artist Tyler Shields has photographed an actress in a tug of war with a dangerous alligator over a Hermes Birkin bag.

The artist has waited over a year to set up the shoot, which features actress Ana Mulvoy-Ten just inches away from the deadly animal.

The photographer, who counts the likes of Lindsay Lohan and Emma Roberts among his subjects, said he waited months to get hold of the coveted $100,000 crocodile skin handbag (irony people) - but it only took him a couple of days to track down an alligator.